Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method and a recording medium thereof, which offers information for diagnosing condition of a predetermined object based on information measured from a medical image.
Description of Related Art
A medical image shows a user an inner structure of an object such as structural details, internal organs, fluid flow, etc. of a photographed and processed body. Through the medical image, a doctor or the like user checks health condition of a patient and diagnoses a disease.
The medical image includes a magnetic resonance image (MRI), a computed tomography (CT) image, an X-ray image, and an ultrasound image, etc. The medical image represents an object in various ways in accordance with the kinds and photographing methods of photographing devices.
As a pulmonary function test, spirometry uses a pneumatometer (or a respirometer) to measure and calculate vital capacity (VC), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), etc. and combines the results, thereby assessing a pulmonary function.
In general, the spirometry cannot measure residual volume (RV) and has shortcomings of low reproducibility. Therefore, the spirometry is hardly used in confirming a specific lung disease, and its range of use is limited to such an extent that the spirometry is mostly used in determining whether the pulmonary function is normal or abnormal.
Accordingly, there is a need of image processing, in which a medical image, e.g., a chest image is used in the pulmonary function test to thereby more accurately obtain diagnosis results of various pulmonary functions.